03-06-2025
It's hot in Tennessee. A new law will make it hotter – and you sicker.
Last legislative session, Tennessee lawmakers voted on a bill that, on its face, seemed technical and harmless.
The jargon-loaded legislation stated that 'the International Energy Conservation Code's requirements for roof solar reflectance and thermal emittance for low-sloped roofs do not apply in this state.' A roofing industry lobbyist even testified before members of the legislature that the bill was benign, 'simply a fix; not quite administrative, but almost.'
Not even close. This deceptive bill — SB 1194/HB 0801 — which passed through the legislature and is now state law, will harm the health of Tennesseans. It will also lead to much hotter temperatures in Memphis and Nashville, and throughout the southern and western part of the state. That's not a 'fix' worth supporting.
Which is why I voted against it.
Memphis and Nashville are already experiencing dangerous urban heat levels, which disproportionately impact vulnerable communities, outdoor workers, and people who struggle with high energy costs.
Propped up by a narrow industry lobbying group, this new law will undermine standards that are crucial for reducing extreme heat impacts. It will have an even more harmful effect on Tennessee's under-served Black and Brown communities, including many of the neighborhoods I represent in Nashville.
Unfortunately, this is the same case in countless frontline communities across the nation.
Years ago, Tennessee adopted the International Energy Conservation Code's requirements for cool roofing. It required new commercial buildings and multi-family buildings with low-sloped roofs to install light-colored 'cool roofs' in parts of the state.
These cool roofs reflect solar energy and reduce heat transfer, both in the buildings and for surrounding communities. Cool roofs are a proven, cost-effective solution, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. They reduce peak cooling demand by 11-27% and provide annual energy cost savings of up to 7.5%.
This ill-conceived legislation stripped out a common part of the energy code that has been saving money and improving the health of Tennesseans.
Letter: My neighbors and I served Nashville for years. Now we can't afford to live here.
We desperately need more cool roofs in our state. Every year, at least 2,000 emergency room visits in Tennessee are attributed to heat, with over 4,000 heat-related ER visits in 2023 alone, according to the Tennessee Department of Health.
Research from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville confirms that urban areas across the state experience significantly higher temperatures than surrounding regions. This is due to the urban heat-island effect, which occurs when man-made structures absorb and re-emit the sun's heat.
With this new law, commercial and multi-family buildings in Tennessee will continue to absorb and trap heat, raising cooling costs and putting residents at risk — particularly seniors, children, and other vulnerable populations.
That's why a coalition of pro-health groups wrote letters in opposition to the bill. The coalition included the American Public Health Association, the Tennessee/Kentucky chapter of the American Lung Association, and the non-profit Smart Surfaces Coalition, which includes the Metropolitan A.M.E. Church as a key partner.
The lobbyists who pushed the bill through, representing roofing companies that manufacture so-called 'dark roof' products, know they are losing market share because dark roofing materials make buildings less efficient, communities hotter, and often cost more than cool-roof options.
Letters: Readers question motivations, actions of Tennessee's elected officials
The dark-roofing industry has also created a disinformation campaign about cool roofs, questioning decades-long science. They misrepresented the bill as a minor, technical patch when the legislation has massive health implications for the state.
This new law will lead to higher energy costs and cause an increase in heat-related illnesses and deaths, and it will force taxpayers to subsidize structural environmental inequality.
I urge my fellow lawmakers to revisit this poorly understood bill and let common sense prevail.
Rep. Harold Love, Jr., D-Nashville, represents the 58th District in the Tennessee House of Representatives and is Pastor of Lee Chapel AME Church and President of The National Black Caucus of State Legislators. Rev. Dr. Jon Robinson is the Smart Surfaces Senior Program Director at Metropolitan A.M.E. Church in Washington, D.C.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee weather is hot. A new roof law makes it hotter | Opinion
